Cups and other devices for the protection of the male groin region are well known and extensively utilized, particularly for protection during athletic competition. Generally, these devices are limited to the "jockstrap" or athletic supporter, which is an elastic-fabric garment used to support the male genitals, and to the "cup", which is a rigid cup-like enclosure normally positioned within a pouch of a specially designed jockstrap type of athletic supporter, and is intended to physically shield the genitals from physical impact. Such cups normally define a cavity area which is designed to encase the male genitals, and a resilient rubber covered edge portion surrounding the cavity, intended to fit against the abdomen around the genitals, which transfers any impact forces on the cup to the abdomen. While the use of an athletic supporter or jockstrap alone may be adequate protection for some athletic activities, such as swimming, field and track events and other non-contact sports, it is most common to wear a cup during athletic activities such as football, hockey, rugby, soccer, and other such contact sports activities to protect the male genitals from injury as the result of inadvertent physical blows to the groin region. While such cups are most commonly worn during athletic competition, it should be appreciated that workers sometimes find it necessary to wear such cups in certain occupations where physical blows to the groin region can be expected.
During athletic competition, most such inadvertent blows to the groin region are directed perpendicular to the axis of the body (i.e., the spine) so that the cup directly absorbs the force of the blow to shield the genitals from such a blow as intended. As many athletes have experienced, however, many such inadvertent blow to the genital area my be directed generally upward, or angularly upward, somewhat parallel to the axis of the body, which can cause many of the prior art cups to be pushed upward with the force of the blow, so that the edge of the cup will ride-up on the scrotum and impact the testes. As a result, the cup itself can cause considerable injury or at least pain, contrary to its intended purpose.
My prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,329, issued Aug. 23, 1977, disclosed an improved cup having a narrow, rearwardly protruding portion at the lower edge designed to protrude inwardly between the upper thighs, and engage the superior ramii, the inferior ramii and the Ischial ramii of the pelvis, to thereby prevent any upward movement of the cup as a result of upwardly directed blows. The patented cup has enjoyed significant commercial success, particularly in the field of martial arts, and other contact sport activities, such as football, baseball and soccer. Despite the success of the patented cup, however, there have been situations where it has not provided the optimum degree of protection as would be desired, nor has it provided optimum comfort. For example, prior art cups are all designed to provide a generally straight and horizontal upper edge which intersects the slightly angled, vertical side edges to form a corner. Although the corners are usually well rounded, the width of the cup at the top near the rounded corners, is normally the overall widest dimension of the cup. When the cup is impacted at an angle, the cup can be forced to twist, thereby forcing a rounded corner into the abdomen at the groin region. While this is not only somewhat painful, it can cause physical damage to the groin region.
In addition to the above short-comings, the protective cups of the prior art are all rather uncomfortable to the wearer in several respects. For example, the prior art cup geometry has been generally V-shaped in form with generally angled side edges coming together at the lower end to avoid contact with the upper thighs, with the result that the male genitals may be rather crowded within the cup, not only causing a crowded uncomfortable feeling, but further reducing ventilation through the cup which results in excessive perspiration and moisture build-up. With regard to my previously patented cup, on the other hand, the rearwardly protruding portion is too wide adjacent to the cup portion, thereby causing the thighs to rub against the edges of the cup, which is not only uncomfortable, but may cause skin abrasion if allowed to persist for a period of time.
As another example of the short-comings of the prior art cups, there have been situations where a particular blow to the protective cup has been so sharp and forceful, that the cup has been fractured. Even if the cup does not fracture, if the athlete's testes are positioned so as to be in contact against an inside surface of the cup, a forceful, sharp blow against the outside surface, such as a carelessly swung baseball bat, will often be quite painful, even if not causing any actual physical injury. If the cup is caused to fracture, continued athletic activity with a fractured cup will not only risk injury as the cup may fail to provide the protection intended, but the fractured fragments of the cup can themselves cause significant injury to the groin region as a result of jagged fracture edges on such fracture fragments. Even slightly cracked cups can cause significant pain if flesh gets pinched within a closely spaced fracture crack.
With regard to the prior art cup supporters, it would appear that very little thought has been given thereto. Such cup supporters are usually designed to be substantially identical to conventional athletic supporters or jockstraps, the front panel of which has two layers so as to form a pouch for containing the cup. The top end of the two layered front panel is left open to permit an opening through which the cup can be inserted and removed. Such prior art cup supporters are known to do little to stabilize and maintain the cup in its proper position, and when impacted with an upwardly directed blow, the cup can be pushed upward through the top opening and be dislodged partially, and even completely, from the cup supporter pouch. When the cup is even partially dislodged from the pouch, it will not afford the degree of protection intended, and will normally require the athlete to exit the playing field or arena to replace and reposition the cup and cup supporter.